Technology regarding payment systems and the providing of payment by a user has advanced considerably in recent years. Payment cards capable of contactless payments have been developed, as has technology for storing payment card information in a smartphone for use in contactless payments. In previous times a consumer was required to furnish their payment card, which would have its impression taken by the merchant. In present times, a consumer can pay for a transaction with the same payment card account using their phone or a contactless payment card, without their payment card leaving their wallet. However, despite all of the advances in payment systems, little has been done to better the experience for visually impaired consumers.
When a consumer engages in a financial transaction, the cashier or clerk typically audibly notifies the consumer of the transaction amount. For visually-abled consumers, the consumer is able to read the transaction amount from the point-of-sale terminal or receipt to verify the amount being charged is as stated by the cashier. However, for a visually impaired consumer, they must rely on the cashier or clerk to be stating the transaction amount correctly. This provides an opportunity for less trustworthy parties to defraud the visually impaired consumer, by charging an additional amount beyond what the consumer is expecting to pay. Whether this occurs rarely or not, the perception that it could is discomforting and potentially inhibiting of engaging in I such transactions. If a visually impaired consumer is defrauded when using their payment card, they are usually unable to discover the discrepancy as to the payment versus their expectation until a later time and/or date when they can verify their payment history.
For unusual transactions, text messages or phone calls can be sent to a card holder, but these are designed as fraud detection. There are also proposed systems that require a consumer to verify a transaction through text or other forms of messaging, but these interfere with timely authorization of transactions.
On a different note, many consumers, both visually-abled and visually impaired, consistently possess smartphones and other mobile communication devices. Many devices include the capability of audibly reading text to a user, such as to assist the visually impaired. While these devices can assist the visually impaired in navigating display menus and the like, these facilities are not designed as methods of assisting a visually impaired consumer with financial transactions.
Thus, there is a need for a technical solution to provide details of financial transactions to the visually impaired that does not interfere with a timely authorization process and does not require substantial changes to the legacy financial transaction processes.